Chang, special projects reporter for The Times-Picayune and author of the acclaimed eight-part series, “Louisiana Incarcerated,” will discuss what she learned while writing the articles, as well as share the reactions she’s received. Chang’s report indicated that 40,000 people are locked up in Louisiana prisons, and the state’s incarceration rate is the highest in the world, nearly 13 times that of China.

“This discussion comes at an obvious juncture. Louisiana and New Orleans in particular can’t sustain the social and economic costs of mass incarceration,” said Andre Perry, Ph.D., co-host of the event and associate director for the Institute for Quality and Equity in Education. “Our communities deserve the solutions that this discussion should spark.”

The event will be held on June 20 at 6 p.m. in the Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall, located in the Communications/Music Complex on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Calhoun Street.

The panel will also feature some of Louisiana’s top law enforcement and elected officials, as well as former prisoners and criminal justice advocates: